


Come Undone

by NewtonsApple



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 13:26:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7270072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewtonsApple/pseuds/NewtonsApple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story is basically the aftermath of Alaric being raped by a non-canon character and how he comes through the ordeal. The list of characters make a brief appearance but it's mostly Dalaric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was such a hard story to write - male rape is never an easy subject to write about. Lots of TV programs talk about male on female rape but not many focus on male on male rape. I apologise deeply to Alaric for putting him in this horrible situation but I promise that the rape itself, whilst horrible - is not overly graphic. All comments would be appreciated - my blood, sweat and tears went into this story.

Rebekah was more bored than she'd ever been in her whole life. She heard Klaus screaming at his minions and rolled her eyes. Her brother could pick a fight with his own fingernails. 

She walked to her wardrobe and flicked through her collection of ball dresses. Choosing a slinky red number she held it in front of her chest and smirked.Rebekah would just make her own fun. The chic red silk flowed over her slim figure. Sitting at her dressing table she put on her makeup and a pair of ruby earrings. 

She arrived at the Lockwood mansion as a crowd of guests were leaving and spotted a familiar face. It was that history teacher from the high school. What was his name? Something old-fashioned. Alaric, that was it. 

Tiptoeing up behind him she tapped him on the shoulder. He spun on his heel and blanched.  "I'm on vervain. You can't compel me."

Rebekah smirked. "Who needs vervain when you're blind drunk? No Damon tonight?"

Alaric's eyes narrowed. "He won't be long. He's just behind me."

"I don't think so." She squeezed a pulse point on his neck and he slumped forward. As an original vampire Rebekah had the strength to manhandle him into the car. She ran round to the front seat and started the engine. She pulled down the rear view mirror and smirked. "You are evil Rebekah Mikaelson, evil, evil, evil..."

Alaric stirred just as she parked outside the mansion. He was too out of it to kick up a fuss. She dragged him upstairs to her bedroom and threw him on her bed.  The hunter wasn't Rebekah's usual type but he was handsome, alone and all hers. For now anyway. She leaned over and stared into his baby blues. "Alright Ric? That's what Damon calls you, isn't it? Much less stuffy than Alaric..."

He blinked, trying to keep his eyes open. She was right about the blind drunk thing. Watching Damon fawning over Elena had sent him head first into the nearest whiskey bottle. 

"My, my... You've had far too much to drink, haven't you? Was the party that boring?"

"D-Damon..." he slurred.

She smirked. "He's a bad influence on you isn't he? Humans have such low tolerance for alcohol, among other things. You like him don't you?"

Ric nodded and his head swam. Rebekah swiped a sharp fingernail down the side of his cheek. "I think it's because you've got a thing for him - or does he have one for you? You're handsome, for a human."  Never breaking eye contact, she began to undress him. First his shoes, then socks, then his belt buckle. Ric fought her at every step but was no match for her strength. She yanked his black tailored pants down his thick thighs and Ric covered himself with his hands. 

"So pretty, I can see what Damon sees in you. Look at those muscles!"

Rebekah's hand brushed against his dick and she felt a shiver of delight at the naked fear on his face. She could break him, she could do whatever she wanted...

Hearing a knock at her door, she threw a blanket over his face and opened it. 

"Hello brother."

"Rebekah." Klaus's voice sounded silky, seductive. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing."

"Who's in there with you?" He pushed the door open wider and grinned, displaying his dimples.   "Dear oh dear, couldn't you have picked someone else Rebekah? The last thing I need are the Salvatore brothers around when I'm trying to create more hybrids. What do you think will happen when they discover you've stolen their darling?"

"Damon's too busy lusting after Elena to worry about him. I saw him at the Lockwood mansion. Stefan's too busy eating rabbits and writing in his diary."

"Help me..." Alaric mumbled. 

Klaus smirked and wagged his finger in his sister's face. "You'd better do something about this..."

She laughed. "Oh, I plan to, don't worry. I'll keep the Salvatores' out of our hair. They wouldn't dare come here."

"Maybe you could keep him here long enough for the vervain to wear off? We could compel him to be our eyes and ears."

Rebekah's nose wrinkled as she considered his suggestion. "Great idea, I want to torture him a little first though."

"Tear him up a little, he's too bloody handsome for his own good that one." Klaus shut the door and went back downstairs. The hybrids' needed him. 

Left alone with Ric, Rebekah moved back to the bed. She pulled the blanket off and smiled down at him. "Be a good boy and I might let you live. Don't, and I promise you'll suffer." 

Ric whimpered and lay still. Rebekah was an original vampire. She could rip his head off and no one would know. Still, if she did kill him, at least the Gilbert ring would bring him back. It would only be a temporary death. Didn't stop the pain or the memories of death though.

"I will." he said with a gulp. "I'll be good."

"Now that's what I like to hear. A man who knows his place." She walked over to her wardrobe and removed a felt hat from the shelf.  It had a feather in the band. She took it out and glided it along Ric's naked chest, tickling his sides until he squirmed. 

He moaned and bit his lip but managed not to move. He wanted Damon to come and save him but Damon didn't know where he was. No one did and Rebekah knew it. She was right about Damon. He was a bad influence on Ric and he _did_ have a thing for the vampire. He shouldn't, but he did. This was quite a recent realisation for him. First enemies, then friends, now something... different. Something more, at least on Ric's part. 

Casual evenings spent at the boarding house drinking their way through Damon's liquor cabinet, researching how to kill the next big bad, watching Damon from beneath his eyelashes... He was sure the vampire never knew the impure thoughts rattling around his brain. Damon wasn't a mind reader after all and he couldn't compel him either, thanks to the vervain. 

Rebekah smacked his leg hard. "Hey, I'm torturing you here, the least you could do is take notice!"

He gave up, letting her take off his jacket and shirt. Clad only in blue silk boxers, he was entirely at her mercy and she knew it. He blinked back tears and stared at the ceiling, he was fine, and someone would notice he'd gone missing. Elena maybe or Bonnie. 


	2. Chapter 2

Rebekah watched as the conflicting emotions flitted across the hunter's face. She could read him like a book, every thought, every feeling, he expressed it all through his eyes. Grabbing a handful of his sandy blond hair, she pulled it and watched tears fill his eyes. Damon Salvatore had nothing on her and besides, she'd only just begun. 

**************************************************

Damon paced up and down the living room of the boarding house, phone clamped to his ear. "I keep getting his damn voice mail! Didn't anyone see him after the party?"  He stared at each person in turn. 

Elena gripped Stefan's hand, Caroline crossed her arms and Enzo laughed. "He's a grown man Damon, not a baby. I'm sure he's fine. I bet you fifty bucks he's asleep under a tree somewhere."  

Bonnie slapped his arm and frowned. "Enzo, don't be so mean. Ric's human and it's not like him not to answer his phone."

Elena rummaged in her purse for her cell and called Jeremy to see if Ric went there. "Nope, sorry Damon, Jeremy hasn't seen him."

"What about his loft?" suggested Caroline. "Has anyone checked there?"

"I'll go check." Enzo said, sorry for his joke about Ric falling asleep somewhere. The worry on Damon's face was too much for Enzo to bear. Using vampire speed he ran to Ric's loft and listened. No heartbeat, no lights on, no, Ric wasn't there. He returned to the boarding house and told Damon the bad news. 

Damon growled and stabbed the redial button on his phone. "Shit! The mail box is full! This is stupid, we'll retrace his steps from the Lockwood's."

Caroline gasped and turned to Bonnie. "Can't you do a locator spell to find Ric?"

Bonnie frowned. "I'd need something of his. Elena, do you have anything?"

Elena dug around in her purse and pulled a photo of her and Ric mugging for the camera. "This is all I have. Maybe if I hold it and you channel me?"

"I'm not sure this is going to work. Ric isn't magical, I've never tried searching for a non-magical human before."

"What about his ring? That's magic." Caroline piped up. Enzo rolled his eyes at her and she punched him. "Well it is! It's a resurrection ring, right Elena?"

Bonnie placed the photo of Ric on the edge of a map of Mystic Falls. Dangling a purple crystal over it she gripped Elena's fingers and concentrated. Nothing happened.

"It's no good Elena, I don't think the photo is a strong enough binder to Ric. Do you have anything else?"

Damon slammed his fist on the table. "Can't it give us a ballpark area to search in at least? Anything?" 

"I'm a witch Damon, not a miracle worker."

Damon leaned over and tried to grab the crystal from her hand. A jolt of static electricity made her jump back, what the hell was that? Grabbing his shoulder, she dragged him from the room. A montage of visions flashed inside her mind, oh god, she never realised. 

"Well, what is it Bon-bon?" he drawled. "Why did you drag me out here?"

"You have feelings for Ric, don't you Damon? I can't believe I never picked up on it before!"

"He's my best friend." Damon said, cringing away from her intense brown eyes. "Maybe I should try the crystal thing. I might have a stronger connection, we spend a lot of time together after all."

"Sure, we'll give it a try, but I'm right aren't I? You--"

"Shut up Bonnie, now isn't the time." Damon narrowed his eyes at her and strode back into the living room. Damn Bonnie's perceptiveness. Must be her witchy powers. Damon didn't have many friends but Ric, Ric was special. Ric understood him, looked past Damon's nefarious deeds and saw the good in him. 

Damon took the crystal and dangled it over the map, concentrating hard on Ric. Two seconds later, the crystal dropped and everyone gathered around the table. 

"The Mikaelson mansion?" Caroline's eyes widened. "Why the hell would he be there?"

Visions of Ric covered in bruises swam into Damon's mind. He clenched his fists; if Klaus had hurt Ric he'd kill him, original vampire or no.

Elena's forehead furrowed. "Do you think Klaus took him?"

"What other conclusions can I draw?" Damon retorted. "He must have. I don't know why though, Ric's on vervain, even Klaus can't compel him."

"We have to go get him!"

"No shit Elena. Of course we need to go get him but don't you think we should have some kind of plan first? We can't just walk up to Klaus's mansion and demand our hunter back, can we?" 

"I know that Damon, no need to be so mean to me."

"Sorry, I'm just worried."

"We all are. Okay, plan, how do we distract Klaus and rescue Ric?"


	3. Chapter 3

Rebekah tied Ric's feet to the bedposts with rope and did the same to his hands. She reached inside the bedside drawer and took out a knife, twisting it to reflect the light. 

Ric watched her, trying to stay as still as he could. Why hadn't Damon come to save him yet? He still had his boxers on and Rebekah couldn't get them off now she'd bound his feet.

She pulled the waistband away from him and sliced the thin material in two with the knife.  "Who's a big boy?" she crooned. "Damon doesn't know what he's missing." She sat beside him on the bed, laughing when he flinched.  Hitching up her dress she climbed on top of him and smirked. "Let's see just how sharp this knife is shall we?"

Ric's voice cracked. "Don't, please..."

The hunter's heartbeat sounded like gunshots to Rebekah and she placed a hand on his chest. She could feel how terrified he was. Torture was so intoxicating, once she started she never wanted to stop.  She dug the tip of the knife into the crook of his elbow and laughed as it welled up with blood. Tiny shallow cuts, nothing major yet, she wanted to take her time. She cut him again, this time on his stomach and he whimpered, begging her with his eyes to stop hurting him.  She dipped her face and licked the drops of blood collecting on his taut, hairy stomach. "You taste like fear and bourbon, yummy!  Poor baby, I bet that hurts doesn't it? Let me kiss it better."  She kissed his cheek and he turned his head to get away from her. The tendons in his neck stood out and she licked her lips, one little bite couldn't hurt, right?  She pinched his nostrils and he opened his mouth wide, choking for a breath. Forcing her tongue in his mouth she licked his teeth and sucked his bottom lip.  "Mmm, delicious. You know Ric, has anyone ever told you how pretty you are? A bit wimpy perhaps but gorgeous. Those huge blue eyes staring at me in such horror, I can't get enough." Laughing she reached her hand down and stroked his soft dick, trying to bring some life to it. 

Ric squeezed his eyes shut and tried to pretend it was Damon's hand. He imagined his friend's ebony hair and ice blue eyes, staring at him the way he stared at Elena. 

Rebekah pressed a hand to his temple, forcing a dream into his subconscious. 

Ric moaned as his visions became sharper and more realistic. Dream Damon climbed on top of him and rubbed his smooth, naked body over Ric's chest. Their dicks rubbed together and he moaned. 

Rebekah released him and howled with laughter. "So that's what you want is it? Big strong Damon to swoop in and save you?"

Ric shook his head from side to side to clear the cobwebs and the last remnants of the fake dream. "No."

"Liar. It's a pity he's in love with Elena isn't it? Why does everyone love her anyway? She's not that pretty. You think Damon'd be happy to have a big handsome man doting on his every word." 

"I don't love Damon, not like that."

"You're a terrible liar Ric. You know, I didn't take you for gay but these days it's hard to tell. No foppish clothes and no tights, just gorgeous men who prefer the company of other men."

Ric cleared his throat. "I'm not gay. It's just Damon..."

Rebekah's stomach rumbled. "Hungry..."

Ric struggled in the confines of his bonds but the ropes were too tight. 

"Don't worry love; I'm not going to eat you. Not yet anyway, you've still got that nasty vervain stuff in your veins. Still, since I can't have you escaping just yet..."

She left the room and Ric breathed a sigh of relief. Even better, she'd left the knife a few inches from his left leg. If he stretched, he might be able to reach it. Trying to drag it towards himself, he ended up kicking it off the bed and growled in frustration. God, he wished Damon was here, he'd even take Enzo at this point. 

A few minutes later, Rebekah returned with a handsome black man in tow. He had huge muscles and an even huger dick which bobbed and swayed as he walked. 

"This is Frank. He's almost as pretty as you Ric, don't you think so?" Rebekah said with an evil laugh. "Two pretty men getting it on and I have a front row seat."

Nausea churned in Ric's stomach and he struggled harder. 

"Stop that darling, your poor hands, look, they're purple. You said you'd be a good boy; don't tell me you're breaking your promise now. You don't want to hurt Frank's feelings do you? He's excited to meet you, he told me so."

Frank's dark brown eyes had a glazed quality, he wasn't in control of his faculties. No vervain for Frank then. 

"Did I mention that Frank is gay? He seems to like you..."  She picked up the knife from the floor and cut the ropes holding Ric's feet to the bed. For a moment, Ric thought she was going to stop whatever madness was about to happen, but she didn't. 

Frank lurched over to the bed and stroked Ric's calf. He flinched, trying to kick Frank in the stomach. 

"Now, now Ric, that's not nice. Frank's your guest."

Frank climbed on top of Ric's naked thighs and stroked his fingers down his flanks. Ric flailed his legs, trying to dislodge Frank but it didn't work. He started to cry, he knew where this was going and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He shut his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Damon and the rest of the gang had now sorted out as much of a plan as they could on short notice. 

"Okay, Caroline distracts Klaus then me, Stefan and Enzo rescue Ric. Bonnie, have you got a handle on that cloaking spell?" Damon said.

Elena frowned. "What about me? What's my job?"

"To stay here. Klaus needs your blood for the hybrids. Let's not make it easy for him, okay Elena?"

"Promise me you'll call Damon, as soon as he's safe." she said, arching a sculpted eyebrow at him. "Don't forget."

"I promise." Damon said. "Bonnie? Cloaking spell?"

Bonnie finished scribbling on a piece of note paper. "Got it Damon. It doesn't have a good range though; I'll need to be outside the mansion."

"Try not to get yourself killed. Stefan, Enzo, you guys ready?"

They nodded and ran outside to the Camaro. "I'd better drive, you're a mess Damon." Stefan said. "We'll follow you Care, not too close."

Caroline slid behind the wheel of her Ford Fiesta and sighed. It wasn't fair, she was a vampire too, she could help rescue Ric. But no, all Damon wanted her to do was flirt with Klaus. 

When she'd first met Klaus, she'd hated him, his arrogance especially. Since then, he'd saved her life from a werewolf bite and they'd hooked up once or twice. And okay, Klaus was a bad boy, but she'd always had a thing for bad boys. The effect of those cute little dimples in Klaus's otherwise thin face made her melt. Not to mention his charming English accent. On second thoughts, she didn't mind distracting Klaus...

Music blaring, she drove through the gates of the Mikaelson mansion and parked out front.  She slammed the car door, ran up the steps and knocked. 

"Hey Klaus!" she trilled, sweeping her curly blond hair over her shoulder. 

"Caroline! To what do I owe this pleasure?" 

Her heart skipped a beat. Tall and slim with short curly blond hair, Klaus was a hottie. She stared at his chiselled jaw and plump lips and swallowed hard.  "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Taking her hand, he led her into the lounge and offered her a blood bag.

"Don't panic, it's no one you know, I didn't kill anyone. Not tonight anyway." 

She'd never admit it out loud but even after everything he'd done, she still found him attractive. Taking his hand she led him over to the sofa and pulled him down next to her. As scary as Klaus acted to everyone else, he was putty in her hands. She leaned into him and stroked his bare arm.

Klaus glanced down and despite his fearsome reputation, Caroline could've sworn he blushed.

"Why don't we go upstairs? You can show me some more of your artwork."

"U-upstairs?"

"Yeah silly. Where the paintings live." She dropped her gaze and licked her bottom lip. Did Klaus just whimper? Boys were so easy to manipulate. "Coming?" she whispered. 

"I need to stop at Ric's, just for a few minutes." Damon said. He and Enzo climbed into the back seat and Bonnie sat next to Stefan. 

"What for? Aren't we in a hurry?"

"Ric's got the best weapons. Stakes, vervain bombs, he always plans ahead."

"What a boy scout." Enzo drawled. "You realise that we're vampires too?"

"Ric would never hurt us."

Enzo snorted. "You hope."

"He wouldn't, he's one of us. What've you got against him anyway?" Damon asked in a strangled voice. Never one for religious ceremony, Damon prayed that Ric was still alive. If Klaus had hurt him, there was gonna be hell to pay.

Stefan parked the car at the end of the narrow lane that separated the mansion from civilisation. "What now?"

"Now we run. Enzo and I will go on ahead, Stef, keep Bonnie safe. Bonnie, ready?"

"As I'll ever be." she said, chewing her bottom lip. "Get him home safe Damon, promise me."

"I will. I promise."

Getting the go-ahead signal from Bonnie, Enzo and Damon ran up to the back door. Klaus had left one inept minion on guard and Damon dispatched him by breaking his neck. 

"I'll start on the ground floor." Damon whispered. "You go upstairs, ready?"

Damon hugged the wall keeping his ears pricked for the slightest sound of his friend. The deep pile carpet of the hallway muffled his footsteps. A blood-curdling shriek rang out and Damon's blood froze in his veins. Ric! Guttural screams and sobs rang out from the room at the end of the hall. Damon's hair stood on end, what the hell were they doing to him? He kicked the door open, making Rebekah jump. She couldn't see him thanks to Bonnie's cloaking spell. 

She ran outside yelling for Klaus and Damon stood frozen like a statue in the doorway. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. A huge, naked black man knelt between Ric's thighs. The guy was grunting and rutting into the hunter and Ric was screaming, begging for it to stop. 

Damon yelled out and was across the room in seconds. He dragged the man away from Ric who screamed even louder. The black guy's cock popped out of his friend's ass, he was _raping_ Ric!

A red mist descended in front of Damon's eyes and he broke the guy's neck without a second thought. He closed the door and locked it so no one else could get in. He didn't want Stefan or Enzo witnessing Ric in his present state. 

Ric lay curled on his side, face covered in blood, snot and tears. Damon didn't know what to do first.  He called Bonnie to remove him from the cloaking spell and told her he had Ric safe. She told him Stefan and Enzo were already outside with her and to meet at Elena’s house. 

Ric was still in danger. Rebekah's hysterics had bought Klaus running and Damon heard him tell Care to leave. 

Damon ran to his friend's side and ripped the ropes from his arms. Ric lay on his back, no longer crying, just staring at the ceiling. The hunter's hands were purple from the restraints and Damon rubbed them to get his blood pumping. 

Wrapping Ric in a sheet, Damon picked him up, unlocked the door and vamp sped out of the house. He took his friend straight to the boarding house. He knew Ric wouldn't want his friends seeing him like this. He took Ric upstairs to his bedroom and locked the door. Biting his wrist, he thrust it to Ric's mouth, urging him to drink. The blood would heal his physical wounds at least. They'd have to work on the mental scars once Ric came back to reality. 

Damon wanted Rebekah dead, he vowed to himself that one day, when she least expected it, he'd stake her.  Shaking his head, he turned back to Ric, his friend needed him. He sat beside him on the bed, wrapping the comforter around his shivering body. 

As promised, he called Elena and told her Ric was safe. 

"I want to come see him, I'll come to the boarding house."

"No!" 

"Why not?" 

"He needs some time. Something bad happened at the mansion, he's okay for now. I'll call you later." He hung up before she could ask any more questions. Ten seconds later his phone rang again, this time it was Bonnie. 

Damon told her what Ric had gone through and told her not to tell Elena. The fewer people who knew right now, the better. 

"Oh Damon..." Bonnie's voice conveyed both sorrow and horror. "Take care of him, he needs you."


	5. Chapter 5

He padded over to the bed and checked his friend out. The cuts and scrapes healed before his eyes, the blood was doing its job. He walked into his bathroom and wet a washcloth with warm water and cleaned the blood and snot from the hunter's face. 

Ric whimpered and clutched at Damon's hand. "Don't..."

"Let me see." Damon tried to check his friend out but Ric wouldn't let him. 

"Leave me." he moaned. "Don't touch me!"

The pain on Ric's face was more than Damon could bear but he needed to make sure the wounds were healing. 

"I'll be careful, I promise." 

Tears welled in Ric's eyes and Damon swallowed the hard lump in his throat. He pulled down the comforter and unwrapped the sheet. Ric's chest was perfect again, cuts and scratches healed by the blood. What about the... other stuff? Damon wasn't brave enough to ask his friend anything about the rape, he needed Bonnie. 

Peeling his hand away from his friend, he walked over to his dresser. Ric was bigger than him so the clothes would be a little snug, though he wouldn't care about that. He picked out a soft grey t-shirt and a pair of track pants. 

Damon held out a hand to Ric but he didn't take it, just stared at it like he didn't know what it was. Damon stretched the neck of the t-shirt over Ric's head and eased it over his shoulders. He picked up Ric's hands one by one, and squeezed them through the armholes. The pants were another matter, he didn't want to traumatize Ric more than he already was. Yanking him to a sitting position, Damon knelt and pushed his feet into the pant legs. Now what?

"Can you stand buddy?"

Ric shook his head and screwed up his face. Tugging the hunter towards him, he rested Ric against his shoulder. His friend's heart was beating so fast it sounded like a hum. Damon eased the pants over Ric's ass and snapped the waistband into place. 

"All set buddy. You okay?" Damon could've kicked himself. What a dumb question, of course he wasn't alright. 

Ric covered his face with his hand and sobbed into Damon's neck. Frozen in horror, all Damon could do was rub his back. 

"God, Ric. I'm so sorry." He lowered them both to the bed and curled up next to his friend. He had no idea how to make Ric feel better, if he even could. 

He heard the boarding house front door slam shut and knew Stefan was home. No Elena thank god, just Stefan. Ric snuggled into Damon's side and cried into his neck. Damon laced their fingers together and kissed his cheek. Ric cried harder. He cursed himself, what an idiot. 

"I think I should take you to the hospital." 

"No!" Ric moaned and clutched Damon's shirt. "I don't want to!"

"Okay, okay, we won't. It was just a suggestion, I don't know what to do Ric."

What could the hospital do anyway? Ric had no wounds anymore, nothing visible anyway. What he needed was a therapist. Or a psychiatrist, someone who could help his mind. 

Ric's eyes fluttered and his hand stopped clutching Damon's shirt and dropped to the bed. He waited until the hunter dropped off to sleep and went downstairs. 

Stefan handed him a blood bag. "How's Ric?"

"How the hell do you think he is? He's a mess Stefan and I don't know what to do!"

"Bonnie told Elena and me what happened. Why would Rebekah do something like this?"

"Because she's a torturing bitch who deserves to die? The Mikaelsons' never need a reason Stefan, just an opportunity. This whole thing was my fault, I left him alone at the Lockwoods."

Stefan dragged him by the arm and dumped him on the couch. "Ric's an adult Damon. Any idea how she was able to get the drop on him? He carries weapons all the time doesn't he?" He poured his brother a generous measure of whiskey and handed it to him. 

"No idea Stefan, he just decided to get drunk and left himself wide open."

Stefan turned away from his brother and smirked. He knew full well why the hunter got drunk in the first place. Ever since he'd met Elena, his brother had been jealous. Elena was a beautiful girl and too nice to tell Damon to fuck off. He mooned over her whenever they got together, flirting in that seductive way he had. And while Damon watched Elena, Ric watched Damon. It paid to be observant and Stefan was, having spent most of his life watching from the shadows. 

"You're an idiot Damon."

"What?"

Ric cried out from upstairs, screaming for Damon to help him. He sped up to his room to find Ric cowering on the bed, rocking and crying. 

"You left me!" he sobbed. 

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep. Come here." He held his arms out and Ric leaned forward, plastering himself on Damon's chest. He rocked his friend until he quietened and took him downstairs. Maybe Stefan could help, his brother always knew the right thing to say. 

Stefan took one look and poured Ric a large whiskey. 

"Wait." Damon took the glass from his brother, crushed a sedative into the amber liquid and handed it to Ric. "Here you go buddy, drink this."

Ric's hands trembled as he gripped the glass but he didn't drink. Damon tipped it up and forced the liquid into his mouth. 

"Damon..." Stefan shook his head. "Don't force him, if he doesn't want it, he doesn't want it. Besides, he needs to feel like he's in control."

"Watch him for a sec, I'm calling Bonnie."

Stefan nodded. "No problem." 

She answered on the first ring. "Damon! How is he?"

"Physically, fine. Mentally, he's a mess. I don't know what to do, can you come over? I know it's late but please?"

"Oh my god, Damon Salvatore said please..." 

"Bonnie!"

"Sorry, sorry, couldn't help it. See you soon."

Maybe she had a spell to fix Ric? He'd even contemplated compelling the pain away but this wasn't a quick fix. He opened the mini fridge behind the bar and grabbed two blood bags. 

"Bonnie's coming over."

Stefan checked his watch and frowned. "Now?"

"Yes Stefan, now. Is that okay with you?"

Ric felt their eyes on him. He saw the pity in Stefan's eyes and wanted to lash out. His whole body was a seething mass of boiling nerves, he wanted to die. That Damon had seen the aftermath of Frank was the hardest thing to bear. The snap of Frank's neck echoed around his brain, Damon killed Frank and saved him, but it wasn't enough. For the brief minutes that he'd managed to sleep, he'd had nightmares. He never wanted to sleep again. Laying back on the sofa, he reached out a hand to Damon. 

Damon gripped his hand, rubbing his thumb over his friend's fingers. The doorbell rang and Ric almost jumped out of his skin. 

"It's okay, it's just Bonnie. Stefan, get the door."

Bonnie walked in and dumped her stuff on the table. Stefan gave her a hug and thanked her for coming. "I know it's late but Damon thought..."

"Don't worry about it, I couldn't sleep anyway." She knelt beside the couch and put her arm around Damon's shoulder. "How's the patient?" She saw what Damon meant now. Ric looked hollow, his usually expressive eyes flat and dead. 

Damon leaned forward. "Be right back buddy, I just need to talk to Bonnie. Stefan will stay with you." 

Raw panic flashed in Ric's eyes. "No, Damon..."

Stefan poured the hunter another drink and sat on the floor beside the sofa. "Damon'll be right back, I'm here with you. Drink this."

They walked away from the living room into the kitchen. "It's worse than I thought, isn't it?" Damon said. 

Bonnie scrubbed her fingers over her eyes and sighed. "If it were up to me, I'd suggest a trauma counselor. He needs to talk to someone Damon, someone professional who understands these things. He needs to feel safe."

Damon glared at his friend. "He's safe with me."

"You have to be careful, he's in an emotional state right now. You know he's in love with you right?"

"No way! He is not!"

"God Damon." Bonnie rolled her eyes and punched him on the arm. "Sometimes you can be so dense. It rolls off him in waves. I watch him, watching you, watching Elena. It's like a sitcom for crying out loud. He knows you love him as a friend but I get the feeling he wants more than that. Do you still love Elena?"

"I love her sure, but I'm not in love with her anymore."

"You need to tell Ric that, it might convince him to open up to you."

Smashing glass from the living room made Bonnie jump. "What the hell was that?" 

The melting remains of the whiskey glass lay in front of the fireplace. Ric rocked backwards and forwards on the sofa, head in his hands. 

"Jesus Stefan, I leave you alone with him for one second and he goes crazy! What did you do?" 

"Nothing!"

"He touched me." Ric mumbled. 

Leaping to his feet, Damon punched Stefan hard. "What does that mean? What did you do?"

Stefan threw up his arms. "I touched his arm to get his attention, that's it! You deal with this Damon, I'm going to bed." Spinning on his heel he stormed off up the stairs to his bedroom. 

"You want to stay over Bonnie? You can sleep in the guest room."

Wide eyed, she nodded and grabbed her bag. "Call me if you need me, okay Damon?"

"I will." He walked behind the bar and crushed two sedatives in a glass of whiskey. "C'mon Ric, bed time." He grabbed the hunter's hand and followed Bonnie up the stairs. Pulling back the blanket he got into bed and patted the mattress. "I'll stay with you all night, I won't leave you alone again, I promise."

Ric nodded and got into bed. At any other time he'd enjoy this but he felt dead inside. He took the glass of whiskey and sculled it back. It burned going down but at least he felt something other than horror. 

Damon wrapped Ric in both the blanket and himself and stroked the hunter's hair. Ric shivered against him, puffing hot air into Damon's neck. Bonnie's words came back to haunt him. Ric wasn't in love with him, was he? He'd never given Damon the impression he liked him as anything other than a friend. They were drinking buddies. 

When Damon was human, he loved girls. Over the last hundred years he'd experimented of course, he hated boredom. Ric was a good looking guy and a great fighter. He'd saved Damon's ass plenty of times and in return, he'd killed Ric, twice. Under the mistaken impression that Damon had killed his wife, Ric had broken into the board house. Confronting Damon with a homemade stake, he'd tried to stab him. Damon had broken the hunter's neck and left him to die alone on the carpet. He hadn't know anything about him at that point but ever since then, they'd been close. 

He loved Ric, would never hurt him now. Would kill anyone who tried, like Rebekah. She had to die. But did he love Ric like a buddy or was he in love with him? Damon wasn't sure. He'd been in love exactly twice, first with Katherine and then Elena. Both of whom had chosen Stefan over him. But Ric had  _chosen_  Damon. 

The hunter cried out in his sleep and Damon hugged him close. He felt protective of him, wanted to soothe his pain away. Damon wasn't a therapist, far from it. Bonnie was right, Ric needed professional help. Ric's breathing evened out and Damon felt his eyes drift shut. Ric in his bed felt good, felt right, not the circumstances of course, but still right. 

 

Ric woke with a pounding heart in complete darkness. For a moment he thought Damon saving him was a dream. That Rebekah had planted some terrible dream in his mind. He reached out blindly and cried out when his hand came into contact with skin. A naked shoulder by the feel of it. Frank? Oh god, he hoped not!

Ric's fist got Damon's attention and he opened bleary eyes. "You're okay Ric, it's me, Damon, ssh..."

The hunter relaxed and tried to calm himself. Damon was here, everything was okay. He had to go to the bathroom but didn't want to leave Damon's side. 

"You want a shower buddy?"

A shower sounded good. He'd never felt dirtier in his life but he didn't want to go alone. Damon might think he was a big baby if he didn't though. What kind of hunter couldn't shower by himself? He pushed back the covers and stretched his aching back. 

"Want me to help you?"

Ric's whole body flushed with heat. What did that mean? Help him shower? A ghost of a smile lit up his face and Damon grinned. This was the Ric he knew. 

Damon got out of bed, grabbed a white fluffy towel from behind the door and took it into the bathroom. He turned the shower to hot and went back into his room. 

"It's ready when you are. Leave the door open if you want."

Shutting Ric away by himself would only freak him out, Damon knew. "I'll be right here if you need me." Going over to the dresser he grabbed a change of clothes and pressed them into Ric's arms. 

"Damon?" Stefan called through the door. "Elena dropped some of Ric's clothes for him. She thought he might be more comfortable in his own stuff."

 He opened the door. "Thanks Stef. Is Elena still here?"

"No, she went home. I had to force her though, she wants to see him, make sure he's okay with her own eyes. You know what she's like."

"Yeah, I do. She cares about him."

"She's not the only one, is she Damon?" Stefan winked at his brother. 

"Bite me Stefan."

Damon snatched the clothes from his brother's hands and slammed the door in his face. 

"Who was that?"

"Stefan. Elena brought your clothes over. Better than mine huh?"

Ric blushed. "Your clothes aren't so bad." Turning away from Damon he walked into the steamy bathroom and rested his head on the cool mirror. He wanted to punch the glass and shatter his own image. Avoiding his reflection he stripped off Damon's clothes and stood beneath the scalding spray. He washed his hair with Damon's shampoo and rubbed soap into his chest. He smelled like Damon. It was nice, it made him feel close to the vampire. 

He rinsed off and wrapped the towel around his body. "Damon? You still in there?" he called through the door. Getting no immediate reply, he panicked. Where was Damon? Eyes darting around the empty room, his mouth went dry. He'd promised not to leave him and he had. Perhaps he always would. 

The bedroom door opened and Damon walked through with two steaming mugs of coffee. "Thought you might want one. You okay?"

"You left..."

"Only for a minute. You were in the shower." Depositing the cups on the bedside table, he stepped toward his friend. Ric took a step back and Damon's heart constricted. Was Ric scared of him now?

He took a sip of coffee and coughed as it burned his throat. "Come here Ric, have some coffee."

The hunter sat beside him, still curled up in the towel. He extracted his friend's arm and put the coffee cup in his hand. "Better?"

Eyes never leaving the vampire's, Ric sipped and fiddled with the hem of the towel. "I thought you left me."

"I wouldn't do that, I promised, didn't I? I need to shower too, do you want to hang out with Stefan?"

Ric shook his head, gazed into Damon's eyes and bit his lip. "I'll stay here."

Draining the rest of his coffee, Damon dumped it on the floor and stripped off his t-shirt. 

Ric blushed and stared down at his own lap. Taking a deep breath he said, "I'm still dirty."

Damon quirked an eyebrow and laughed when Ric blushed. Did that mean what he thought it did? Bonnie's assertions that Ric was in love with him barged into his mind. "Come on then, I'll wash your back..." 

Grabbing another towel Damon pushed his shorts over his narrow hips and kicked them off. Ric's gasp behind him made him smirk. Damon had a great body; he wasn't modest about it at all. 

Propping the hunter against the tiled shower wall, Damon shampooed his hair. Ric was staring at him, bottom lip clamped between his teeth. Switching places with Ric, he soaped his body and smirked. Ric was beautiful naked, hard and muscled with a sprinkling of hair around his nipples. 

Picking up the bottle of shower gel, he tipped it down Ric's chest and rubbed it in. The hunter tipped his head back and moaned, Damon's hands felt amazing on his hot wet skin.

Damon pushed up against him and he felt the tickle of his pubic hair against his dick. He shivered and burrowed his head in Damon's neck. 

It'd been years since Damon's hands roamed a sexy male body and this was  _Ric_. Ric, hard, wet, muscled and naked. Maybe his friend didn't need to see a therapist after all?

Enjoying the sensation of Damon's slick hands skidding up his chest, Ric sighed. This was what he wanted, what he needed...

The shower water ran cold and Damon yelped. "Time to get out." He turned the water off and grabbed his towel, wrapping it around his waist. He chucked the other at Ric, laughing when it flicked him in the eye. 

Spell now broken, Ric didn't know where to look. He draped the towel around his body and hunched his shoulders. 

Ric was a big ball of tense, gone was the playful smile and the teasing fingers. Damon pushed his friend down on the bed. "Lay on your stomach and stretch your arms out." He went into the bathroom and found some massage oil under the sink. 

He perched on the end of the bed and clicked the cap. "This is gonna be cold..."

Ric flinched, he hadn't realised Damon was behind him. For a second, it all came back. Frank on top of him and Rebekah laughing at his terror from the corner. "Don't Damon!"

Damon cursed himself. He should've realised that creeping up on his friend from behind would scare him. "Sorry Ric, I didn't think. I just wanted to make you feel better. You know I'd never hurt you, right?"

"I know that." Ric mumbled into the pillow. "I'm okay Damon."

Damon sat on his haunches and warmed the oil between his palms. Ric's neck muscles felt like concrete and he kneaded them hard. 

Ric moaned and drooled on the pillow. "Oh god..."

"Nope, just me."

"Ha-ha." Ric's brain turned to soup. All he could concentrate on were Damon's hands touching him, making him feel good. Dick hardening beneath the towel, he squirmed on the bed. He wanted to touch himself but he couldn't with Damon right there. Scratch that, he wanted  _Damon_  to touch him. 

Damon squirted another blob of oil on Ric's back and massaged it in. His friend's tanned back looked slick and shiny. He rubbed the hollows and dips, learning Ric like a treasure map. 

"You okay buddy?" Damon asked.

Ric didn't reply, just snored. Damon was the master of massage, no wonder his friend fell asleep. He leaned forward, rubbing his hard nipples on his friend's back. He had to bite his lip at the pleasure he felt. Had he always had a thing for Ric? 

Elena told him once she was jealous of his and Ric's bromance. That was the word she used, bromance. She had to explain its significance; Damon had never heard it before. Did they still have the bromance or was it now a proper romance? Was there any difference?

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Damon danced his fingers to the center of Ric's back and pushed. He heard it click and Ric woke up and winced. 

"What're you doing Damon?"

"Sorry buddy, don't know my own strength sometimes." He moved further up the hunter's back digging here, stroking there until Ric dropped back off. He covered his friend with a blanket and walked downstairs to get a drink. 

Stefan handed him a blood bag and yawned. "How is he now? Better?"

"Sleeping. No more meltdowns."

"If you could see your face right now Damon..."

"What the hell are you talking about Stef?"

"He loves you, doesn't he?" Stefan shook his head. "I can't believe I never saw it before."

Damon sighed. "You're not the only one. Bonnie let me in on that little secret. I think that I..." Damon wasn't used to sharing his feelings, especially not with Stefan.

"You love him too. I know you too well brother, we've been together for a hundred and sixty years." he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I'm going round to Elena's, Bonnie's already there. I'll see you later okay?"

Damon went into the kitchen and made a grilled cheese sandwich. Ric hadn't eaten for hours, he needed something to soak up the whiskey. He bounded up the stairs and opened his bedroom door. The bed was empty and for a moment, Damon panicked. 

 

 

The toilet flushed and he heard the sound of running water. Ric stepped out of the bathroom, eyes lighting up when he saw the plate. "Great! I didn't realise how hungry I was!"

"You want to eat downstairs? We could watch a movie."

"Let's stay up here for now. I feel safe here."

Damon watched his friend eat and handed him a water bottle to wash it down. Ric settled against the pillows, wincing as he sat. Damon's nerves jumped, hadn't the blood healed his wounds? Did Ric have lasting damage from the rape?

He tried to broach the subject without embarrassing his friend. "So Ric, how are you feeling? Did all the cuts heal?"

The hunter bit his lip and considered. "The wounds from the knife are gone but..." He coughed and averted his eyes from Damon's gaze. "I haven't checked everywhere."

"I still think you should go to the hospital, in case there's any lasting damage."

 

Ric whipped his head from side to side. "I can't."

"Do you want me to look?"

"The short answer is hell no but if it's a choice between you and the hospital... then I guess so."

Damon thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay buddy, lay down on the bed."

Ric dropped his empty plate on the floor and flopped face first on the bed. He buried his face in the pillow and pretended the love of his life wasn't about to investigate his ass. Awkward much?

Damon pulled Ric's shorts down to just above his ankles. Goosebumps sprang up on his friend's legs and butt. "How're we gonna do this? It's not the best angle..." Parting the globes of his friend's butt, Damon peered into his crack. No cuts, abrasions, bruises, it looked fine to him. He heard Ric's sharp intake of breath and shivered. Ric's wince must've been psychological rather than physical. 

"You're fine Ric, all healed. I do think you should talk to someone though."

"What's the point? You said I'm all healed."

"What about your emotional scars? I don't know if you know this but I'm hardly the most stable person on the planet." Damon said, rolling his eyes. 

"Stability is overrated Damon. Who cares right? We should go and kill something. Any vampires around?"

"Only me right now. You wanna kill me?"

"I want to kill Rebekah."

"I know you do but I doubt you could fight a kitten right now. No offense."

"Offense taken. You're right though, you're always fucking right. I don't even feel like a vampire hunter anymore. I just feel angry. What does that say about me?"

"It tells me that you're sorting through stuff in your mind, that's normal, healthy. Elena knows more than I do about the five stages of grief."

"Nobody died."

"Ric..."

"Correction, my confidence died. Maybe we should have a seance for it."

Damon understood rage better than the average person, his whole life was fraught with it. Ric sounded angry but that wasn't it, he was fighting to gain control of a situation he'd already lost. 

"I promise we'll go and kill something later but for now, come sit with me." Damon yanked the hunter down to the bed and cuddled him close. He loomed over him and nuzzled his nose. Ric licked his lips and swallowed hard. Damon's ice blue orbs bore into his and his trademark smirk was evident.

Butterflies danced in his belly. Damon was staring at him in a way he never had before. Possessive almost, but that wasn't quite it, more like that Ric was special. He opened his mouth to ask a question but Damon put a finger over his lips. Lowering his head, Damon kissed Ric's cheek, his neck and then the corner of his mouth. 

Ric pulled back. "What're you doing Damon?"

"Oops." Damon whispered. "Forgot to tell you..."

Ric's breath stuttered in his lungs. "Forget to tell me what?"

"How I feel about you..."

"Me?"

Resting his head on his arm, Damon lay beside Ric on his side. "Yeah. I'm in love with you, didn't you know?"

Ric stared at him open-mouthed. "You're what now?"

"In love with you."

"Since when?" Ric's eyebrow quirked in suspicion. "You were all over Elena at the Lockwood party."

"That was just to annoy Stefan."

"You're lying."

"Why would I?"

Ric stared at Damon, waiting for the inevitable, 'Gotcha!' but it didn't come. "Don't tease me Damon, that's not fair."

"I don't get why you're so surprised Ric."

"You love Elena, that's why! I've spent the last year watching you fawn over her!"

"I told you, that was to annoy Stefan. I haven't been in love with Elena for months."

"I guess I don't need to tell you how I feel about you then huh?"

Damon laughed. "It would've been nice not to have been the last to know. You never said anything to me. Both Bonnie and Stefan told me I had feelings for you before I realised it myself."

"Damn Bonnie and her perceptiveness." Ric said with a chuckle. Tugging Damon down, he crushed their lips together and buried a hand in the vampire's hair. 

Damon straddled his waist and Ric tensed. "Sorry..."

Ric panted, eyes closing to slits as he tried to keep his emotions in check. "I want to Damon, I just--"

"You don't have to explain Ric. It's far too soon for me to be manhandling you like that." 

Ric smiled, dimples making a debut appearance. He brought Damon's hand to his lips and kissed his fingers. "Manhandling me huh?"

Damon's heart flip-flopped in his chest. "Yeah, sorry, bad choice of words. Bad timing too."

"Kiss me. I want you to."

"How can I refuse a request like that huh?" Damon dipped his head and placed a chaste kiss on Ric's mouth. The stubble on the hunter's chin scratched Damon's soft skin but he didn't care. Besides, vampires' healed so fast it didn't make a difference. 

Ric licked Damon's lips and sighed. Crossing his arms he stripped off his t-shirt and snuggled the vampire close. 

"My turn." Damon smirked and removed his own. Stroking Ric's soft skin, he kissed his neck, sucking on the skin. He could hear Ric's blood circulating through his veins and the smell was intoxicating. 

"Wood smoke and bourbon, that's what you smell like." Damon crooned into Ric's ear. 

The hunter pushed him over on his back, stroking thick fingers over Damon's nipples. He groaned and arched his back off the bed. Sensitive wasn't the word. Damon gripped Ric's hips and pushed a thumb under the waistband of his shorts. 

Ric froze, he could feel Damon's excitement digging into him and god he wanted to... but he just wasn't ready. 


	7. Chapter 7

Bonnie was right again, damn her. Damon watched as several emotions played over Ric's face. All this touching, kissing and stroking made Damon as horny as he'd ever been. If Ric hadn't just gone through the worst experience of his life, he'd take him anyway. 

Ric shifted until he was more comfortable and felt a flush of desire as he came into contact with Damon's dick. He stifled a moan and lay down on the vampire's chest. He wasn't ready for intimacy with Damon, no matter how long he'd dreamt of it. He wanted their first time to be perfect, not marred by rape and its aftermath. 

"Get dressed, let's go out." 

Ric groaned and shook his head. "I'm not ready to see anyone yet Damon, let's stay here. We'll watch a movie like you suggested." He just wanted to stay with Damon for a couple more days. Elena would be all over him like a rash and even Bonnie... No, he wasn't ready for that either. And what if Rebekah attacked him again? 

Noticing the rapid change in his heartbeat, Damon said, "What's wrong?" 

"Rebekah." Just that one word betrayed everything he felt. Terror, humiliation, it all came through at once. 

Damon sat up and folded Ric's hand in his, rubbing his fingers. "She can't hurt you now. She's gone."

"How do you know? Did you stake her while I was sleeping?"

Damon snorted. "I wish. No, Elijah called me last night. He owed me a favour from when I un-staked him. I persuaded him to take Rebekah out of town, they're in New Orleans, or should be by now."

Ric laughed. "Scary dude Elijah, nice hair though."

"Not as nice as yours..." Damon teased, running his fingers through Ric's soft sandy blond hair. 

Ric melted, Damon's fingers running through his hair felt awesome. "Okay, let's watch that movie. Plus, I'm hungry again."

Damon let him pick, some Vin Diesel action flick with bombs that was okay. He wasn't paying attention anyway, he was watching Ric's animated face. It was as if last night never even happened but Damon suspected it would be short lived. His friend's feelings had to come out sometime. 

Ric's phone rang and he jumped. Staring at it as if it were a poisonous snake, he ignored it. 

"Who was that?"

"Elena."

"You'll have to speak to her sometime. If you don't you know she'll come over."

"Mmm."

"I don't know about you but I need a drink, you want one?"

Ric nodded and stared at the TV. He wasn't in the mood to speak to Elena or to anyone except Damon. He liked her, of course he did, everyone did, but she was so pushy. She had to know everything about everyone and Ric was not in a sharing mood. No doubt Bonnie had told her what happened at the house, he didn't want to see Elena's pity. 

Leaving Ric watching the movie, Damon defrosted some steak and cut up mushrooms and tomatoes. What the situation called for was some hearty Italian food, Damon was a Salvatore after all. He tipped pasta into a pot of boiling water and turned up the heat. 

The smell of cooking food wafted into the lounge and straight up Ric's nose. His stomach rumbled, that sandwich felt like hours ago. He watched Damon cook and plastered himself to the vampire's back. 

Damon reached out to poke Ric in the stomach but his hand made contact with the hunter's dick. 

He spun around and raised an eyebrow. "Oops. Sorry Ric."

"My own fault, stood too close." the hunter said. Blushing, he pulled Damon in for a kiss, grateful that Stefan wasn't around. 

 

 

Lips red raw, Damon came up for air he didn't actually need and popped the cork on the wine. Red wine of course, what else with Italian food? He handed Ric a glass and tried not to stare at the lump in his friend's pants. That was some kiss! 

They hugged while the food cooked and talked about everything except for last night. The wine, whiskey and lack of food made Ric's head spin. It reminded him of all the wine he'd drunk at the founder's party. That's how Rebekah had got her claws into him, how she--

Black spots appeared in front of his eyes and he couldn't catch his breath, he couldn't breathe! 

Damon turned at the ragged sound, dropped the pot in the sink and grabbed Ric tight. He whispered, "You're okay Ric, you're okay." into his ear until he could breathe. "Tell me what's wrong."

"L-Last night. Too much wine, sick. Rebekah, couldn't get away--"

"It's all over now, she can't hurt you anymore."

Ric pushed Damon away and stared at his friend with haunted eyes. "If nothing else, this experience might just cause sobriety."

Damon heard the throb in his voice and stroked his cheek. "God, I hope not. You know I hate drinking alone. I need you!"

Ric's heart jumped out of his chest at Damon's words. He _needed_ him. Ric needed Damon but he also needed to get better. "I've changed my mind about talking to someone. It's a good idea. I don't want to feel like this anymore."


	8. Chapter 8

"That's a good idea Ric, I'll call Bonnie, maybe she knows someone we can trust. Here, you might as well eat while the food's hot." He piled the hunter's plate high and they watched the rest of the movie.  

Well before the end, Ric fell asleep with his head in Damon's lap. He texted Bonnie and she told him she'd call him in the morning. Damon carried Ric upstairs, bundled him under the covers and slept. 

His phone rang at seven the next morning and Damon groaned. It was way too early to talk to anyone. Not wanting to wake Ric he took the phone into the hall. 

"Hey Bon-Bon, what's up?"

"Hey Damon, how is he?"

"He wants to talk to someone."

"I spoke to my old psychology professor about rape trauma counseling. Don't worry, I didn't mention any names but she's given me the number of a woman called Dr Singh. She works at victim support in Mystic Falls. I made an appointment for Ric at ten am, is that okay?"

Damon's stomach rolled. "Please don't refer to Ric as a victim Bonnie. If you repeat that word in front of him, I'll bite you."

"I'm not an idiot Damon, I wouldn't. Can you get him there by ten?"

"Sure. And also, I told Ric I loved him..."

"I'm happy for you, how did he take it?"

"Thought I was bullshitting him."

She snorted down the phone. "That's because you're Damon Salvatore. You're a big tease. Listen Damon, in all seriousness, don't put too much pressure on him. Let him come to you and don't push him too far too fast."

"You have such a low opinion of me, don't you?"

"Have you met you?"

"Bye Bonnie, I'll talk to you later."

Opening his bedroom door, he found Ric staring out the window lost in thought. Damon stood behind him and put his arms around his neck. Ric whirled and pushed Damon away, pale and panting. 

Damon fell on his ass. Picking himself up he took the hunter's hand and sat him on the bed. "I'm so sorry Ric, I didn't realise..." Stupid, stupid, stupid... Damon chastised himself. 

"I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to push you so hard, you scared me."

"I know you didn't mean to. Come here." He wrapped his arms around the hunter's shaking frame and kissed his cheek. Baby steps, maybe once Ric spoke with this Dr Singh? He hoped she was as good as Bonnie said she was. He told Ric about the appointment and he nodded. He hadn't changed his mind, he needed to talk to someone.

Cuddling Damon close, Ric rubbed gentle circles on Damon's shirt clad chest. He grazed the vampire's nipple and laughed when Damon sucked in a breath. He pinched it between his fingers and kissed him on the lips. 

Damon returned the favour and discovered something new. Ric's nipples were even more sensitive than his own, judging by the moan. Inching his fingers up Ric's chest he walked him backwards until he fell on the bed. Morning explorations sounded good. 

"Have I told you yet how hot you look first thing in the morning?" Damon asked. 

"No, but you can tell me now."

"You look hot first thing in the morning."

Ric rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha. Get over here, I want more cuddles."

"You don't have to ask me twice!" Chuckling, he leapt on top of the hunter and tickled him, digging his fingers into Ric's ribs. "Oh, and ticklish too! Don't even think about it." he said as Ric poked him in the side. "I'm not ticklish at all. You'll have to think of something else..."

"Like what?" 

Damon waggled his eyebrows. "It's no fun if I tell you Ric. You want to have a shower?" He slipped his t-shirt over his head and walked bare-chested into the bathroom. He could almost feel Ric's gaze boring a hole in him. "Coming?"

Blushing at the connotations of that word, Ric followed him in. Waiting until Damon got the shower started he turned away and stripped off. 

"Don't do that, I want to see you. You're gorgeous Ric, don't you know that by now?"

"Is that why you love me?" Ric asked with a pout. 

"Yup."

"Least you're honest." 

Taking the hunter by the hand, Damon tugged him into the shower and stood him beneath the spray. "Gotta look all pretty for the doctor..." Damon teased, spiking Ric's hair with the shampoo. 

Pretty... Rebekah had said that to him. Ric's nose wrinkled and he gagged. "I have to get out of here." The shower walls were closing in on him.

"What did I say?" Damon tried to hug Ric, but he struggled in Damon's arms, opened the door and fell on his ass. Naked and sprawled out on the bathroom floor, he just lay there, crying. 

Damon turned the shower off and crouched next to his friend. "What's wrong? What did I say? Give me your hand Ric, c'mon."

Back heaving with sobs, Ric stayed where he was. Damon wrapped him in a towel and rocked him until he stopped. Good thing Bonnie had set up the appointment for today, Ric needed it. 

                                           ************

Damon and Ric sat in Dr Singh's waiting room at the clinic. Pretending to read a magazine, he watched Ric's foot tapping on the ground. He knew his friend was nervous, anyone would be. Resting his arm on Ric's back, he dug his fingers into his neck. 

"Mr Saltzman?" A melodic voice called from the door. "Alaric Saltzman?" 

A tiny Indian woman dressed in a dark blue suit and red scarf came into the waiting room. "Mr Saltzman?" she asked, looking at Damon. He shook his head and tapped Ric on the arm. "This is Ric."

Blue eyes flicking to Damon, Ric paled and swallowed hard. His heartbeat rocketed as he stumbled into Dr Singh's office. Ric seized at the doorway, making Damon bump into him. "I can't do this! I want to go home!"

Giving him an encouraging smile, Dr Singh led Ric over to a two person couch and sat him down. He was shaking hard and his teeth were chattering. She poured a cup of steaming fragrant tea and pressed it into Ric's shaking fingers.  "Do you want your friend to stay, Alaric?"

He nodded and slumped into the chair trying to take up as little space as possible.

 "Can I get some details from you, name, date of birth, address… that sort of thing?"

Getting no reply, Dr. Singh looked over at Damon. Damon cleared his throat, looked over at his friend and answered for him. "Date of birth is February 4th, 1976, Alaric Saltzman, but he prefers Ric."

"Address?" repeated Dr Singh. Damon recited the address of Ric's loft even though he imagined Ric would be staying with him for a while. 

Movement across the room caught Damon's eye. Ric was rocking backwards and forwards on the couch. He looked like he was going to puke. 

"So, what happened Ric? Can you tell me?"

He shook his head and the doctor stared at Damon for an explanation. "Someone attacked him, a man. He hurt him."

Dr Singh stood, walked across the room and sat next to Ric. She patted his back and he freaked. "Don't touch me!"

She beckoned Damon from the room. "When did this happen?"

"Day before yesterday. Look, I think it's too soon, we should come back when he's feeling up to it."

"I don't think he'll improve by delaying therapy, he could be a danger to himself or others. I run a testing clinic on the weekends, he might benefit from it."

"What kind of clinic?"

"People with varying mental issues."

"Ric isn't insane; he just had a bad experience! Thanks but no thanks. I'll take him home now."

Dr Singh pursed her lips, walked back in the office and shrieked. Ric had picked up the letter opener from the desk and jammed it into his neck. Growling, Damon bit into his wrist and pushed it into the hunter's mouth. "Drink you idiot!"

Dr Singh picked up the desk phone and dialled. Damon yanked it out of her hand and compelled her to forget they'd ever been in. She sat at her desk staring into space with a serene smile on her face. Damon picked Ric up and vamp sped out of the office and back to the car. 

The blood had done its job, the gash in Ric's neck replaced by smooth skin once more. Therapy wasn't going to cut it. He called Bonnie and told her what had happened. "Meet me at the boarding house and bring your grimoire."

Damon drove home, one eye on his friend, the other on the road. Bristling with anger, he raged at Ric. "You idiot! What the hell did you do that for?"

Ric ignored him; he'd retreated into his own head. He didn't care about anything anymore, he just wanted to die. Twisting the Gilbert ring off his finger he threw it on the floor. 

Bonnie met them on the front steps. She took one look at Ric and hugged him close. "Come here baby, let me have a look." She inspected Ric's neck with delicate fingers. "I take it you healed him?"

"No, I was just gonna let him bleed to death in the doctor's office..."

"I meant, you healed him in front of the doctor!"

He carried Ric over the threshold and dumped him on the couch. "I compelled her, don't worry. I told her to forget we were even there."

Bonnie frowned. "Don't be so rough with him Damon."

"That crazy doctor wanted to put Ric in a mental hospital. No wonder he stabbed himself..."

"Damon!"

"Did you find a spell?"

"Yeah, well kind of." 

Damon yanked Ric to a sitting position and sat next to him on the couch. "What do you mean, 'kind of'?"

"It takes away fear but I don't know if that's the best thing for him. What if he starts to think he's invincible?" 

Ric moaned and buried his face in his hands. Words, words, words... It was driving him insane! He needed quiet so he could hear himself think. 

Bonnie grabbed Ric's hand and frowned. "Where's his ring Damon?"

"He took it off in the car."

"Go get it!"

"Why? He doesn't need it right now."

"From where I'm sitting there are at least ten sharp things within reach..."

"Put a spell on him then! Or better yet, find one to fix him!"

"What about compelling him to forget?"

"I thought of that too but it wouldn't be a proper fix. We'd just be delaying the inevitable."

"And a spell would be different how?"

"Maybe we could try a combination of the two ideas?"

"How would that work?" 

Damon pulled Ric's head into his lap and stroked his hair. "We could tell him that even though he got attacked, he's fine. Then you remove the fear so he can talk about what he remembers. It's gotta be better than the incapacitating fear and pain that he's feeling now."

Bonnie pursed her lips and nodded. "That sounds doable. Keep him company while I get my grimoire." She opened her spell book and gathered her ingredients. Motherwort, Skullcap and St John's Wort all worked for anxiety. 

Damon wrinkled his nose at the smell coming from the kitchen and felt sorry that Ric had to drink that. 

Bonnie walked back into the living room and smiled. They looked so cute together curled up on the sofa like that. Ric's head in Damon's lap, Damon stroking the hunter's hair, adorable. She'd been a little worried when they first came home, Damon was rough with him but it must've been worry. 

"It's almost done. I need some of his blood, do you think...?"

"I'll distract him so you can get it. The mood he's in right now he might punch you..." Damon joked. 

"You're doing a pretty good job of distracting him already. I don't think he'd notice a bomb going off."

"What?"

"The way he's staring at you..."

"Huh?"

"Are you being deliberately dense Damon? Look at him!"

Damon looked down. Ric's eyes shone with love. Love for Damon. His heart constricted, all his fear and worry had made him blind. "I'll just get his ring in case your spell goes wrong..." 

"Nice that you have so much faith in me..."

Damon laughed and eased Ric off his lap. He found the ring in the foot well of the passenger side and slipped it back on Ric's finger. "Now, leave it on, if you take it off again I swear--"

"You'll do what?" Ric whispered.

"I'll never kiss you again."

"Fine, I'll keep it on."

Bonnie laughed. "God Damon, you've got him wrapped around your little finger!" She crouched next to the sofa with a syringe waiting for Damon's signal. She had no desire to get punched in the face, Maybelline only covered so much. 

Damon grabbed Ric's arm and held it towards Bonnie. Covering Ric's face so he couldn't see her, he bent and kissed him on the lips. 

Ric sighed and relaxed into the kiss, this was what he needed. "Damon..." he mumbled into the vampire's mouth.  "Love you..."

Damon gave Bonnie the signal to take the blood and caressed Ric's cheek. He didn't even jump when Bonnie inserted the needle. "It's almost over baby..."

Damon had seen Ric's reaction at Bonnie calling him baby and wanted to try it for himself. It made him feel squishy inside and Ric seemed to love it. 

Ric deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into Damon's mouth and whined. God, it felt so good! He picked up Damon's hand and planted it over the growing bulge in his pants. "Touch me, please Damon..."

"Bonnie's here. Let me just talk to her for a second and I'll be right back okay?"

Damon went into the kitchen. "How's the spell coming along? Should I compel him before or after?"

"A few minutes before I'd say. The spell needs a few hours though. I'll call you when it's ready and you compel him then. Is he okay? Is he tired?"

Damon cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "Yeah, tired."

"Take him to bed for an hour or so, I'll call you when it's ready."

Take him to bed... Sounded good to him. Ric wouldn't get much sleep though...

"What's wrong with you?" Bonnie asked, eyebrow quirked in concern. Damon had a strange look on his face. 

"I hope we're doing the right thing. He can't go on like this, I know I can't watch him every second. I just feel guilty. What if the spell goes wrong? Can we reverse it?"

"Damon Salvatore having second thoughts? Wow, love has addled your brain... Don't worry, of course we can reverse it, I checked before I started."

"Okay, I'll put him to bed. About an hour you said?"

"Try and keep him in one piece..."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means, I'm not stupid Damon. He's fragile right now, he doesn't know what he wants."

"Oh, I think he does..."

She closed her eyes and wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to know anymore... Go upstairs. Goodbye Damon, go... Now!"

Damon walked back to the sofa and held out his hand. "Come on then, we're having a nap." He yanked Ric to his feet and led him upstairs to his room. "We've got an hour. What would you like to do? Knit, crochet or make out?"

"Knitting sounds good..." Ric laughed and pulled Damon down on the bed with him. 

Damon hoped that the spell would fix the mood swings at least. He didn't want to be halfway through a make out session only to have Ric cry or something. 

"Now, what did you want to show me before?"

"This..." Ric whispered shoving Damon's hand on his bulge. 

"I'm not a doctor or anything but I'd say it looks inflamed. I better check it out huh?"

Watching the hunter's face for signs of distress, Damon unzipped his fly. "Yup, definitely inflamed..."

"What's the treatment plan doctor?"

"A tongue bath?" 

Ric burst out laughing. "Sounds good to me!"

Easing down Ric's jeans, he left them around his thighs. "Who's a big boy?" he crooned. "Almost as big as me." He blew cool air on Ric's cock, laughing as the hunter whined in pleasure. 

Ric wiggled up the bed and watched Damon stare at him. "Where's my tongue bath?"

"Right here." Damon whispered. Poking out his tongue, he licked a stripe from base to tip. "Salty..." He sucked Ric's cock into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the tip. 

"Oh god Damon, that feels so--" Ric's hips arched off the bed and Damon held them flat and sucked harder. A brief flicker of panic hit Ric's brain because he couldn't move but this was Damon... Damon would never hurt him.

Getting hot and heavy with Ric was one of Damon's new favourite things. Who knew that the hunter would be so expressive? The noises he made sent shivers of desire straight to Damon's dick. He pulled Ric's jeans off the rest of the way and spread his thighs wide. 

"This isn't working for me..." Ric said. 

"Huh?"

"I'm all naked and you're still dressed."

"You're not all naked, you've still got your shirt on. Besides, this little exploration is all about you. Today, it's your turn." Damon remembered about Ric's sensitive nipples and pushed his shirt up to his neck. "I remember these. These need a tongue bath too, don't you agree Ric?"

"Mmm..."

"I'll take that as a yes."  Damon crawled up his chest and flicked a nipple with the tip of his tongue. Interesting, licking them made Ric moan, sucking them made him scream. "Wow Ric..."

"Touch me Damon!"

"I thought I was?"

Ric grunted and pushed Damon's head down. "Not in the right place."

"Oh. Well why didn't you say?" 

Oh god, Damon's mouth, hot, wet, so so good! Ric tangled his fingers in Damon's black hair and groaned. "Suck me harder Damon, please!"

Damon stroked the hunter's cock and plunged his mouth over the tip, licking and sucking with wild abandon. Ric's thighs jumped and contracted and he fisted the sheets. 

"The spell's ready!" Bonnie shouted up the stairs. 

"I'm coming!" Ric screamed and pulsing jets of come hit Damon in the eye. 

"That was good timing... We won't tell Bonnie what you really meant. She'd never speak to us again."

Ric was panting too much to reply, just lay there, sweating and shaking as Damon licked the cum from his balls. 

"Better baby?"

Ric nodded and pulled Damon up to his level. He fought between wanting to kiss Damon and not wanting to taste his own come. The kiss won. "Gross, is that what I taste like?"

"I enjoyed it and that's what matters isn't it? I'm the one that has to swallow it."

"What do you taste like?"

"Rainbows and unicorns. No idea, I can't reach to suck my own cock. That's your job."

Picking up his t-shirt with shaky hands, Ric slid it over his head and reached for his pants. "I love you Damon."

Damon grabbed a bottle of spray from the top of his dresser. "I love you too Ric. Now spray some of this on, you reek of sex."

"How romantic..."

"Come on, Bonnie's waiting for us."

Ric almost skipped down the stairs. The look on his face made Bonnie flush. "Have a good sleep Ric?"

"Uh, yeah."

"You look happier. Hey Damon, you've got something on your lip..."

Damon wiped his mouth on the front of Ric's shirt. "Better?"

"Everything will be better soon. It's time Damon." she said, raising her eyebrows. "Get him ready."

Ric scratched his head. "Get me ready for what?"

"Come sit with me baby." Damon said, feeling his insides turn to mush from using that word with Ric. At least the hunter hadn't ingested any more vervain over the last two days. Damon could compel him with no resistance. He hated to do it, in fact, he'd once promised never to compel Ric, under any circumstances. Still, Ric needed this, they all did. 

He held Ric's cheeks between his hands and stared into his eyes. "Listen to me Ric. You were hurt but you're okay now. Everybody loves you and we want you to feel better. Forget about Frank and Rebekah, they're gone. I will never let anyone hurt you, ever."

A great weight lifted from Ric's shoulders. He felt lighter than air and happier than he'd been in forever. 

Bonnie poked her head around the door and gave Damon the thumbs up, the spell had worked too. 

Face animated and relaxed, Ric said, "I'm hungry." He bounded into the kitchen, hugged Bonnie and raided the fridge.

Damon followed him in, raising an eyebrow at Bonnie. "What a wonderful spell Bonnie. Want to stay for dinner?"

"What spell?" asked Ric. 

"It doesn't matter. What do you want to eat?"

Ric's sudden turn around gave Damon a feeling of foreboding. What if something went wrong? He didn't want to count on just the Gilbert ring, besides, it only cured magical deaths. It didn't cover things like sharp objects. 

"I'm tired, I'm going home." Bonnie said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow and tell Elena the good news."

Waiting until Bonnie left, Damon pressed Ric against the fridge. It made sense while Ric was still compelable. "Baby, I want you to promise me that you'll never hurt yourself again. Do you promise?"

"I hurt myself?" 

"Promise?"

Ric's eyes clouded over. "I promise never to hurt myself."

"Good. I'd better feed you then. I hear that's a requirement for humans."

"You know what else is?"

"What?"

"Sex."

"Way more fun than food..."

"Food first, then sex. I need to keep my strength up with you Damon."


	9. Chapter 9

Damon asked Alaric if he wanted Damon to drive him home or whether he wanted to stay over with him. Alaric’s eyes were bright and his grin quirked as he drawled to Damon, “Why? Trying to get rid of me already?”

“No way! I thought you might be sick of me and I was giving you an out.” Alaric laughed and pulled Damon towards him. Whilst Damon found himself happy to be in love with his friend and enjoyed holding him close and loving him, he found it equally pleasurable to be the one being held. Bonnie whispered that she was going and Damon waved her out and turned back to Alaric. Damon sighed. “Let’s go upstairs. I’m tired,” proving the point, he yawned loudly. Alaric held out his hand to Damon, yanked him off the sofa and dragged him up the stairs.

Damon himself felt so tired that his bones had turned to water. He flopped on the bed still dressed in his clothes and snuggled his face into his pillow. Alaric bounded onto the bed next to the vampire and put his large hand on Damon’s back. The hunter’s heat was awesome on his cold back. Damon reopened his bleary eyes in time to see Alaric stand up, take hold of his t-shirt and yank it off his body, stretching his arms up made his muscular frame go taut and Damon’s eyes widened. Grinning, Damon told him he was still overdressed. Alaric smirked and undid the top button on his pants and flopped back down on the bed. Damon took on the challenge. Looking deeply into his friend’s eyes – making sure there was no underlying trauma trying to rise to the surface – he unzipped and tugged Alaric’s pants off, Alaric tilting his hips to help. The hunter was now wearing different underwear, gone were the loose boxer briefs, in their place was a tight lycra pair. Damon laughed and Alaric told him that that was what Elena had picked out for him and tried to laugh it off saying it was probably all she could find that was clean.

Once Alaric’s pants were removed, Damon ghosted his fingers over the lycra bulge and saw a flicker of some emotion in his friends eyes but it was gone too quickly to make sense of it. Damon took his hand away. Alaric made a whining noise and put Damon’s hand back, rolling into him on the bed. Alaric’s hair flopped over his forehead and Damon smiled. He put his hand on the back of the hunter’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Alaric’s eyebrows raised and Damon felt him smile against his mouth. Damon mauled his mouth and his hands were everywhere, touching, teasing, and pinching until Alaric was a limp and sweaty mess. Thanks to Damon’s pinches, his nipples were raised and standing proud of the hair on his chest. Damon bent his head and licked one, checking his friend for a reaction – positive or otherwise. He needn’t have worried - it was like the events of the last two days had not happened at all - but with the added bonus that they had both admitted their feelings for each other. Alaric rolled Damon until he was underneath and spread his large frame on top of the vampire. Rolling his hips, Damon could feel Alaric’s erection pulsing against his stomach. He peeled down his underpants and was rewarded when Alaric’s cock sprang out. Damon’s mouth dropped open in awe, his face going red with lust. About six inches long and very thick, it was surrounded by a smattering of sandy blond hair. Damon licked his lips and Alaric blushed at the intensity of his gaze.

Damon removed his boxer shorts and it was Alaric’s turn to look at Damon. The vampire’s seven inch dick was long and thin and had no hair – Damon shaved his – he preferred it that way. Damon gazed into Alaric’s blue eyes, grasped his chin and mashed his mouth onto the hunter’s lips. He probed his tongue inside and licked around Alaric’s mouth. Alaric was whining in his throat and thrusting his hips off the bed. Damon rubbed Alaric’s nipples, circling each one, before stroking down his stomach and lower abdomen, watching his muscles contract at his touch. Alaric’s cock stood at full attention and the need was just too strong. Damon straddled his friend’s ankles and licked at the fat dart on top of his friend’s shaft causing Alaric to moan loudly. Damon grinned and wrapped his lips around his friend’s cock, sucking and licking with a ferocity that scared him. Alaric’s thighs were clenching with the pleasure and his hips were rising off the bed, his hands fisting the sheets, eyes shut tight and making, “Mmmmmm” sounds in his throat. Damon really wanted to start probing his friend’s hole but was too afraid in case it started a bout of hysteria. After several delicious minutes, Alaric’s dick throbbed and one long drawn out moan later, he came in the vampire’s mouth. Damon’s tongue swirled around the head, licking the last remnants of the hunter’s excitement as if it were the sweetest nectar. Alaric lay gasping on the bed, his body limp, eyes closing after the rush of endorphins.

“Oh my god, Damon….that was…I can’t even…just wow. This was so much better than my fantasies!”

“Fantasies? Would you like to tell me about them, my love?” queried Damon.

Blushing, Alaric said, “No. I think I’d like to show you, but not tonight as I think I can feel my brain leaking out of my ears.”

Laughing, Damon kissed him on the mouth and suggested they get some sleep. “We can always play again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that…”

 

The next day was a Monday – Alaric called in sick. He was entitled, thought Damon – he’d had a rough weekend. Stefan was out with Elena so they had the house to themselves. Damon could not keep his hands off of Alaric. He could smell his scent from downstairs, Damon’s heartbeat became erratic when he sensed the hunter near and he honestly couldn’t bear to think of him too far away from him. Alaric’s eyes – always expressive – only had to glance in his general direction and Damon melted like a spoonful of honey left in the sun.

They were sitting on his bed upstairs, fingers laced together and smiling into each other’s eyes like a pair of love-sick teenagers, Damon placed his hand over Alaric’s heart – it was so reassuring, beating a little fast but nothing like it was two days ago.

Later that afternoon, Alaric suggested that they meet up with Elena and the others at the Grill. Damon, pleasantly surprised, agreed. They should be out and about, get Alaric back among his friends and into a more normal atmosphere. He felt a pang of jealousy, he wasn’t sure he wanted to share his friend’s attention with anyone else. After a pleasant afternoon with everyone, Ric in the best of moods, Damon was starting to wonder if the spell was working a little _too_ well but remembered - there was the compulsion also. Ric hadn’t mentioned anything at all about his ordeal and Damon was too afraid to bring it up himself, he thought he’d let Alaric initiate the discussion if any was forthcoming. Alaric – rather worse for wear after all of the alcohol imbibed at the Grill, let Damon lead him by the hand inside the house. Stefan had gone to Elena’s so the house was theirs again. Damon got an overwhelming urge to ravish Alaric. He was so goddamn kissable! Halfway up the stairs he pinned the hunter up against the wall, holding his arms above his head and began to kiss and suck his neck and then his mouth. He could feel Ric’s erection dig into his thigh and Damon rubbed up against it. By the time they made it into the bedroom, Alaric’s lips were red raw and he was throbbing in his jeans. His pupils blown out and eyes wide he was like the poster boy for sexual debauchery. Damon couldn’t help himself, he threw his friend down on the bed and stripped him of his clothes. Alaric was moaning loudly and thrusting his hips off the bed. Finally – after what felt like an eternity – the hunter was naked. Damon surveyed the erotic tableau before him – like a starving man facing a feast – he didn’t know what to touch first. Damon’s senses were on fire and his brain was a screaming litany of want – take – need – have - until he felt he’d go mad with the sensations.

He stripped off his own clothes in such haste that he tripped over his pant leg and landed rather heavily on Ric, the hunter making an “Oof” sound. Damon squirmed on top of him, rubbing his sinewy body everywhere that he could reach. Starting with Alaric’s red and slightly sweaty face he kissed him everywhere from his forehead to his stubbly chin, neck, shoulders – giving very special attention to the hunter’s hairy nipples, Alaric was super sensitive there he’d discovered yesterday – tummy, hips and finally to the prize. Pausing for a gulp of whiskey he swirled it around his mouth and sucked Ric’s cock into his mouth. There was a scream from Alaric – whose whole body was a singing mass of nerves from all the kissing, licking and biting – not with vampire teeth – and he felt like he was going to come undone at Damon’s hands. Damon devoted his entire being to making Alaric become a quivering mess by using his years of practice with love making – though all previous adventures had been with women – and turning it into an art form.

Alaric was trying to form words but all Damon could hear was a cacophony of noises and an incoherent torrent of words emanating from Ric’s mouth. Mostly, “Oh God! Oh Fuck! – Damon – I can’t – don’t st-! More, faster – Oh God!”  Damon smirked against Alaric’s now extremely sweaty skin and could tell by the tightness of the hunter’s thighs and by him thrusting into Damon’s mouth that he was almost there. Sucking harder now – his cheeks hollow – he moved his head so that he was just sucking the tip now and focused the pressure of his lips on the pulsing vein below the head. Alaric screamed, flailing his arms and came, pulsing fiery liquid into Damon’s mouth. Ric’s legs were now shaking with exertion and Damon slithered up the bed until he was face to face with Alaric. Waggling his eyebrows he asked, “Good?”

Alaric stared at him open mouthed, sobbing – sweating – shaking with the pleasure of it all and couldn’t think of a single response to Damon’s understatement of the century. He shook his head, trying to calm his ragged breathing and racing heart, he pulled Damon on top of him. Damon congratulated himself on a job well done and settled himself on top of Ric’s chest.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Alaric’s heartbeat was pounding in Damon’s ear and his chest was heaving, forcing Damon’s head up and down. Damon smiled into his skin and licked some of the salty sweat there. Craning his neck up he gazed into Ric’s eyes and then crawled up his body for another steamy kiss. Mashing his mouth to the hunter’s, he licked into his mouth searching and probing for as much as he could reach. Alaric turned them both over until he was on top of his friend and began to grind his dick onto Damon’s. Their flesh was hot and sticky and Damon moaned as the friction became unbearable and he had to have _more_.

Throwing caution to the wind, he flipped them back over and danced his fingers down to Alaric’s ass, probing for his entrance. Ric whined in his throat when Damon found what he was searching for and splayed his legs on the bed. Damon rubbed down his friend’s crack and his fingers caught on Alaric’s rim. Taking his fingers away, he sucked them into his mouth and made them as wet as possible. Alaric threw his head back on the bed and thrust his hips up at Damon as the vampire returned to his probing. Damon eased one slim finger into Ric’s hole – Ric groaned at the burning feeling that it produced – and pushed it in a little further. Damon checking Alaric’s face found that his eyes were squeezed shut and his body had gone tense and tight. He stopped what he was doing and moved back up the bed to lean over Ric.

Smiling lazily, his grin crooked, he said, “Are you okay? Should I stop? I should have asked first before trying that but you seemed into it.”

Alaric’s voice was husky as he panted out, “I was scared. It brought back bad memories of the guy who…hurt me. Besides, it kinda burns.”

Damon leaned over to his bedside table and produced a bottle of lube, “Maybe I could try it again with this?” Peering down, Ric grabbed the bottle from Damon’s hand and said they could try it but for Damon to be gentle.

Damon pursed his lips and suggested they try something else instead, leaning over his friend he straddled his hips and poured some lube over both their dicks. Ric yelped, the lube was cold on his hot and flushed skin. Damon reached down between them and began to pull and twist their cocks together, using his thumb and index finger he smoothed them over the top of Alaric’s dick and he moaned – Damon grinned, obviously a sensitive area which he was going to use to his advantage as often as he could.

When they were both about as turned on as they could get without blowing their loads, Damon scooted back, lifted his hips and pouring more lube on his fingers and inserted them into his own ass. When he was good and wet, he picked up Alaric’s heavy cock and pointed it at his hole. It was a bit uncomfortable and he grimaced. He got it positioned at the right angle and very slowly he started to impale himself. Alaric had been watching Damon the whole time, a look of incredulity on his face but when Damon started sitting on his cock, his eyes glazed and his mouth was stuck in an ‘O’ shape.

His dick felt like it was stuck in a vice, he raised himself up off the bed, resting his weight on his arms. Damon’s head was thrown back so that his long white neck was bared and Ric desperately wanted to touch him. The angle wasn’t right for this though so he shifted his body up the bed as much as he could without dislodging the vampire, Damon groaned as Ric’s cock almost popped out with the movement. He settled himself back down once Ric had his back against the headboard and began to roll his hips. On one particularly hard downward thrust, Damon moaned when he felt Alaric’s dick hit something inside him, “Oh…Fuck….what was that?!”

“Prostate”, groaned out Alaric and flipped them on their sides. His mouth mauled Damon’s and he pushed his hand between their sweaty bodies to grasp Damon’s dick. Pulling and tugging it with hard strokes, his rough, calloused thumb stroking over the head caused Damon to scream out his name. Alaric thought that was the most erotic sound he’d ever heard and his balls tightened in preparation for his impending release. Rolling them again, he pushed Damon onto his back and began to thrust his cock into his ass trying to hit Damon’s prostate on every thrust. The moans and nonsense words Damon was shouting proved he was hitting his target. Alaric’s muscles tensed and he groaned out that he was coming, his seed pulsing into Damon’s ass in several hot jets. Damon wasn’t far behind and let loose his own release that spurted between their bodies. Alaric pulled out and hugged Damon to his sweaty chest, kissing his neck and licking his ear. He hoped this was an ongoing occurrence as he knew that one time would never be enough, he wanted this forever.

 

The next day, Alaric had to go back to work and Damon missed him with a vengeance. Bored all day with nothing to do he became maudlin walking through the town. Just after 3pm he found himself walking to the high school. His phone rang and Alaric’s breathless voice on the other end made Damon’s heart flutter. He smiled into the phone and told the hunter what he was going to do to him when he got home but Ric told him that he had to stop by the loft to get some papers marked and get some more clothes. Damon was happy that he was going to stay with him. There was a clatter and Ric’s voice became awfully far away, Damon pressed the phone closer to his ear and demanded to know that he was okay but there was no answer. He heard a yelp in the background and the sound of a falling body. His heart just about stopped and he strained to hear something, _anything_. Eventually he heard Ric moaning and there was a sob in his voice as he called for Damon. He heard the sound of Ric’s car in the background and headed for the parking lot at full vampire speed. Getting closer to where Ric normally parked, he could smell blood and worse, it was Ric’s blood.

He found him lying on the ground with a deep head wound that was leaking blood down the side of his face, Damon could feel the veins below his eyes fill with blood and had to force it down. Kneeling on the hard concrete floor, he bent down to his friend. There were tears in Alaric’s eyes from the pain of his wound. In the distance he heard Bonnie’s voice which was high-pitched in alarm as she came upon the two. Damon screamed for her to go and get her car, they needed to take Ric to the hospital now! Bonnie, normally a cautious driver broke a lot of speed limits getting them to the hospital and parking the car outside the entrance, Damon manhandled Ric into the front door of the hospital. A nurse grabbed his other arm and together they put him on a gurney and took him into a private room. The nurse shined a small torch into Alaric’s eyes and he groaned and tried to push it away but Damon held his arms down for the nurse to do her work. A little while later, Alaric now dressed in a flattering – open at the back – hospital gown which he was not pleased about, was lying in a bed, his head now bandaged up. Damon gazed into his face and stroked his cheek. Alaric’s expressive eyes gazing into Damon’s were all he could think about but he eventually questioned Ric about what had happened and who had hurt him. Ric shook his head – knowing what Damon was like at exacting vengeance – told him it was just some silly kids who jacked him for his car, nothing supernatural in the least. Damon frowned and raised his eyebrows. The nurse said he could go home whenever he wanted as he didn’t have a concussion and Damon looked happy. Gathering Ric’s clothes in his arms, Damon shut the door and proceeded to undress the hunter from his horrible gown. Alaric sucked in his breath as Damon found a bruise low down on his hip from where he’d fallen.

“Ow! Guess the nurse dismissed that as minor”, he grinned up at Damon but Damon didn’t laugh. He skimmed his hand up to the bruise and narrowed his eyes, he honestly wanted to punch someone, how dare they hurt Ric? He shook his head and vowed revenge should he ever catch who took his friend's car. Bonnie was still in the waiting room and took them back to the boarding house where Damon bundled the hunter back into bed. Lying next to him he pulled his friend close and pressed feather light kisses down his face.

Once Ric had fallen asleep – now that the adrenaline had worn off – Damon called the high school and informed them that Ric had been attacked and would be out the rest of the week. Damon sat downstairs and proceeded to attack a bottle of bourbon until Alaric awoke. Three hours later, he did wake up and leaned over the back of the sofa laughing at Damon for being so worried about him. Damon’s eyes – usually so hard and calculating – were soft and bright, he smiled up at Ric but it didn’t reach his eyes. The hunter came and sat next to his friend and rested Damon’s feet on his legs. Leaning over he snagged Damon’s drink and proceeded to drain it dry. Damon didn’t laugh, he didn’t even smile, he just stormed off upstairs and threw himself on his bed. Damon felt unfamiliar tears gather in his eyes and his chest felt tight. He stiffened as he felt Ric’s familiar weight sink down the mattress. Ric manhandled him so that he was facing the hunter and Alaric was shocked to see the tears on his cheeks. Alaric lay down on his side and pulled Damon to him, “What is it? I’ve never seen you cry before –!” Damon buried his head in the pillow and muttered something into it.  “What did you say, Damon? I couldn’t hear you.”

“You weren’t meant to hear me.” The snarkiness was back at full force and Alaric chuckled, this was the Damon he knew.

 

“You could have died!” The vampire growled at his friend.

“It was a head wound! That won’t kill me; I’ve been through much worse before!”

“Just think about it for a second, will you? A normal mugging – not by supernatural creatures – could have killed you! Your ring would not have saved you then, you see? You understand? I can’t lose you, Ric – don’t you get it?” Damon sounded angrier than Ric had ever heard him but he knew that it wasn’t anger fueling Damon’s rage, it was fear. Fear of losing him!

A lump grew in Alaric’s throat and he coughed to clear it – god he was turning into such a girl! He pulled Damon into his arms and kissed his forehead, his skin clammy and cold. He tried to make a joke and told Damon that the worst he’d have would be a sexy scar. Damon didn’t laugh but he did rise up and pinning Alaric to the bed proceeded to take off the bandage. Ric winced, it was too sore to be touched, he tried to pull Damon’s hands off his head but he was fighting a losing battle. His mouth set in determination; Damon managed to remove the bandage and winced as he saw the wound in all its glory, the edges ragged and a black/blue bruise shaped like an egg on Ric’s forehead.

Damon stroked Ric’s cheek and told him that he wanted to heal it and Ric, seeing the look of pain on Damon’s face, let him.

Damon bit his own wrist and placed it at Ric’s mouth. Alaric grimaced, the metallic taste grossing him out a bit but sucked the blood into his mouth. The healing began immediately and Damon lay back breathing a sigh of relief.

“Good as new. You look much more handsome without that horrible wound.”

Alaric laughed good-naturedly and hugged the vampire to him. “You are such a romantic, my friend. You say the nicest things!”

Damon’s ever-present smirk back on his face, he loomed into Alaric’s space and kissed his mouth, hard. Moaning, Ric stroked his hands down Damon’s sides, fingers digging into his hips hard enough to leave bruises that wouldn’t stay. Damon smiled against Ric’s lips, he couldn’t get enough of this man and he knew – if it came down to it – that he’d die for him.

 

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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